Where Have The Good Days Gone (Private. Possible Maturity)

Morrigan watched him as he got up and moved into the back room. “Coffee is good. Thank you.” Pulling out a small pendant, she used a bit of magic to activate it. A minute later, a small magical projection of a fae woman appeared above it. “Hello, An Morrigan.” She said in a sultry tone, and Morrigan let out a heavy sigh. “Please stop calling me that. I don’t want her attention on me. Daena, how is the situation in the Queen’s court?” The woman giggled behind a hand. “Are you considering one of those proposals?!”

Morrigan rolled her eyes with a sigh. “No. We just might need to visit soon, and I want to make sure it’s calm there.”

“We?” The tone of her voice, made her frown. “Daena, don’t. You’ll find out why later.”

Sam snickered at the mention of this thing not liking him or Gu-Mi's energy, "Well, it definitely knows that we're bad news to piss off. Gu-Mi could probably tear its spine out by herself if it's already running off." With that he stood up taking a few steps over to the back room, "In the mean time. Tea? Coffee? My assistant makes a pretty good ginger blend to keep you going for a while. And 3 AM is a good ways away."

Morrison just stared back at him for a couple of seemingly tense moments before she smiled, the crimson color leaving her eye, returning both to normal. “It backed away. Seems to not the energy you two give off.” She sat back in her chair for a moment, letting out a soft sigh. “I will be starting the search around 3 am tonight. It will probably last until around eight am. I have a lot of ground to cover.”

Sam chuckled after seeing the map and catching that she made her contract with the map in the diner, regardless it was clear that he was going to need to study the layout of tunnels tracking underneath her property, "Simple enough I suppose. Not exactly known for stealth operations, but I'm always up to changing up the modus operandi if it means I can get a decent pay check." His eyes focused then on the two colors presented in her gaze opposed to his twin gold stare that almost looked involuntarily predatory, "So, when do we start the operation?"

Reaching into the left side of her top, she pulled out a small folded map. Opening it, she laid it on the desk, turning it so it was right side up for him. “This is a map of my place. Put a bit of magic into it...” She reached out and drew a purple rune on it that the map absorbed. All of her escape routes from her house showed up, all of them underground tunnels. “This only responds to those I form contract with.” She looked and him and smiled faintly. “On my end, the contract was formed in the diner. “If they enter the house, I will try and contain them inside until you arrive. You can use the tunnels to get in undetected.”

Sam, now scratching his chin, thought of a proper strategy with the whole idea that Morrigan was being followed and something out there was keeping an eye on her, "That makes things a bit complicated now doesn't it. Ten acres of property with you possibly in dead center." He leaned into one hand trying to get a hold of how they were about to go about this, "Well. If this thing is keeping to the limit of your senses, if it gets close enough try and send me a message. At least then I don't have to break the sound barrier trying to get back to you. I'd wonder if making myself a bigger target may be advantageous to all this."

Morrigan shook her head, something was pushing at the edge of her magic awareness. "I will be doing this at home. Although... it will be more like bait." She looked at him, her left eye staying its normal dark color, the right one taking on a crimson-gold hue. "Something is watching me, hunting. It doesn't want to push too far into my awareness, as I could track it then. It knows I am watching. I am going to have to ask you to be on the watch at the property's edge. We need to capture whatever it is, get answers out of it." She was going to keep the fact that her house was a pretty big two story affair on the edge of the city. "The only caveat is that the house... is on ten acres."

After hearing that this was likely to be a globe hopping trip to find where these stones were, Sam rubbed at his temples looking back to where Gu-Mi had walked, "Well. If that's the case. Whose dwelling would you consider safer? Gu-Mi and I can set up some protective seals around the place for a quiet place to study up on some maps. Just assuming that you don't have some sort of arcane focus sitting at your place." He suggested pointing a thumb over to the back room where his assistant went, "We also have some strong coffee if you need it."

Morrigan laughed uneasily, taking in a deep breath and slowly let it out. "It's not that. She doesn't scare me, or make me uneasy." Closing her eyes, she took a few meditative breaths before she had herself back to normal. "Okay. I will need to try and feel the rest of the stones out tonight, but I estimate there was one on each continent. I will have to figure out where the ones we have came from, then I can narrow down where the others are."

Sam sighed seeing the look Morrigan had then cleared his throat, "Anyway. Gu-Mi. We're probably going to be out a while. More intense than the usual. Possibly paying Titania a visit."

Gu-Mi's red gaze faded away from Morrigan and then to Sam, "I understand sir. I'll keep the place maintained." She gave a polite bow letting the predatory aura fade away so Morrigan wouldn't feel as frightened by her then simply walked to a back room to file what she had in her hands.

Sam attempted once again to get Morrigan's attention, "She's a pleasant enough woman once you get to know her. So back to business, other than the stone with Titania. Where do you think the next stone us going to be? Expecting to take a long boat trip?"

Morrigan glanced up and kind of froze a bit when she looked at the woman's red eyes. For some reason, she got chills and not the bad kind. Blinking when she realized she was staring, she smiled faintly. "Hello, Gu-Mi. It is nice to meet you." She turned back forward again, her eyes a bit wide as she looked down at her hands.

Sam took one deep breath hearing that they were pretty certain to actually meet with Titania again along with the more than likely foul circumstances he was going to use those stones in, "We'll see how that all goes about when we get there. Until then, let's work one step at a time. Worst case we dive head first to the fae lands for that stone we know about."

The door behind Morrigan opened behind her with a woman passing through with a stack of folders in hand. Three main features definitely defined her as not human; the tiny fox-like feet under her long skirt, a fox tail almost ethereal drifting behind her and a pair of predatory red eyes that almost stared through Morrigan, "Guest or business?" She asked adjusting her glasses expecting Morrigan to answer.

Sam gestured to the woman, "Morrigan, meet my assistant Gu-Mi."

Morrigan smiled faintly, seeing the humor in it, but she didn't comment out loud on it. Bringing up a hand, she hid a yawn behind it. She hadn't really gotten any sleep ever since the old man had come to her office, subsiding on magic infused food and drink. "There is a reason why my ancestors scattered the stones, and why people seek them out. That man... his intentions are not noble, I do know that much. As for the stones and their locations, I do know Titania has one in her possession, but I want to save that particular journey for last, if I can manage to do so."

Sam couldn't help but to chuckle a bit at the idea of Titania trying to get her sons hitched through the more unusual method of favors, "At least she isn't trying to get you to do anything really insufferable, like trying to seduce the lady of the lake into giving over Excalibur instead of having it go to Arthur Pendragon." His chuckle rose in volume at the thought of it though he was able to keep himself under control enough to hear out Morrigan's case, "I suppose that will be something to worry about when we get to it. Worst comes to worst and he takes a fist through the chest. From there, who knows." He shrugged his shoulders at the thought, "So where do you think this next stone is? If you tell me it's the land of the fae I'm going to laugh."

Morrigan shook her head, letting out a heavy sigh. "Letters, mostly. She has been trying to get me to consent to marriage to one of her sons. Insufferable really, but that will never happen. I've gotten really good with being nice while being mean at the same time." She glanced at the case, trying to figure out what he wanted with the stones. "It's said that only Solomon's descendants can coax out the true power of the stones, but that is something that has never been substantiated. Even so, without the bloodline, one can still do many... powerful things with those stones."

Sam in turn arched an eye brow considering he had a descendant to ancient biblical royalty sitting right there in his office, and somehow she owed someone like Titania the fairy queen a favor so great there was no chance of getting a second, "Well. That certainly complicates things just a bit." He sat back in his seat with the aged creaking slipping loose, "That guy wants the stones and now I'm wondering what he wants with power like that." With one more scratch on his chin he looked up with those golden eyes, "And considering this is Titania we're talking about, what should I be expecting from our fairy friends?"

Morrigan went over and took the open seat, crossing her legs at the ankles and setting them off slightly to the right, her hands rested folded in her lap. "Though my mother, we can trace our ancestry back to the time of the King Solomon." Her eyes slowly turned a burnished gold as she talked. "There is a legend that when the city fell, we spirited out the Stones and scattered them across the world, hiding them because we knew the power they held. When I was holding that case, even though it has suppression spells in it, I could still feel the energy of the stones trapped inside. That is when I knew the legend was true. That those descended from King Solomon can track the Stones. The art has been lost over the centuries, but I can figure out a new way to trace them. I already own the Queen of the Fairies a favor. I do not want to owe her another."

Sam gave a nod not really watching her as she moved out with him. His office was maybe a half mile out, currently unoccupied aside from a small assortment of books and more aged paraphernalia. The main thing that stood out was a two handed sword displayed right behind the work desk, "It's not a lot, but it's my home away from home. Just don't try to spook my assistant or call her a kitsune if she walks in, she might try to stab your liver out on reflex." He slid the seat out at his desk and put himself in the professional position, "So. What's the plan?" He asked looking over his folded hands right at her and the present seat in front of him.

Morrigan reached up and adjusted the jacket that she had been only half wearing earlier. She reached down and smoothed the wrinkles out of her dress, well aware of how the red dress hung to every curve, showing her body perfectly. "I will tell you when we arrive at your place. Ears are listening. It is not something spoken of outside of our clan back home, and I wish to keep it that way. Other than you of course."

With the confirmation, Sam casually grabbed the suitcase with little to no visual effect on him, "So. With this on the topic. How exactly are you expecting to find what the old man is after? Got any fairy friends willing to put a magic compass in your hands?" With a casual swing, it was placed over his shoulder. Despite the urgency and potential danger dealing with this project, it didn't look like he was treating the suitcase as much it really should have.

A legend her Roma clan had about the Stones of Solomon popped up into her head, and she filed it away to think about later, after the case was in a safe place. As she stood up, she pulled the small dime sized bag in the holster for her pistol out and laid it on the table. It was a highly potent food seasoning, directly from the fae courts, a payment for the last job she had. She picked up the case, pausing for a moment before she looked at Sam directly in the eyes, holding out the case. "Even with the suppression on this case, I can feel the tiny traces of their power. You carry the case."

Sam let a small sigh pass as Morrigan pulled her hand back before pulling himself up to his feet, "Well. If that's the case. Let's get a move on." He stayed upright keeping his eyes on her just in case something involving those stones, "Hey Vinnie, put breakfast on my tab. I'll pay you later." The statement was met with a green, mottled hand with the thumb held straight up signifying the orc understood and wasn't about to do anything stupid, "And Morrigan right? You start staring at that case like it's about to propose. I'm ripping it out of your hand and putting it in a safe."He warned with an air of levity in his voice while he waited for the Roma to stand.

Morrihan blinked slowly, pulling her hand back with a light laugh, able to read the auras that twisted around him, showing her what he was not showing. “We Roma, especially those that are seventh daughters, have high magical affinity. We also know how to recognize potential possession of all types. As long as the Stones stay in the case, they are incapable of such a feat. There is nothing to worry about, Enforcer.”

Sam offered a small nod to the question even with the change in her eyes, "In a sense. It's not an all out shelter, but I have enough wards and magic to keep anything you don't want out." He answered now reaching up to shake her hand, "Just so long as you don't start staring at that case like being away from it is going to kill you. I don't need any magical possessions in my place of business." He made sure to emphasize taking account for the change in her eyes without looking like he was about to restrain he for her own good, just in case these things were about to take immediate control of her life, "And we keep those things in a safe with just as many wards as my place."

Trained by the head of the Vallen, she knew to never take her eyes off of an unknown quantity, and this man definitely qualified as unknown. However, her attention was half on the stones, getting a pull from deep within her soul. She was unaware of the aqua blue that her eyes had become, as her personal magic field melded with what she could feel of the stone’s power. “We just to get them off the streets....” She raised her unsettling new eyes towards him. “Do you have a... safe house? I need to hole up for a couple of days.”